Knights hunt knockout progress

The Knights can take another step towards the Momentum One-Day Cup play-offs with victory over the Highveld Lions at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Tuesday.

While most of the focus in the last few games has been on the top three of the Dolphins, the Titans and the Warriors, the Central franchise have been quietly creeping up the table and back-to-back wins from their last two games will put them in the knock-out stages at least.

The Sunfoil Series champions have beaten the Titans and the Cape Cobras in their last two matches and will be looking for a third win on the bounce on Human Rights Day.

For coach Nicky Boje it is all that matters as he refuses to think about taking on the Dolphins in that last game.

“For us the focus is just about each game individually and at the moment it’s the next one coming up,” he said. “We’re not looking beyond that, so first we have to beat the Lions and then worry about the next game.

“In saying that, we know that two wins will give us a very good chance of making the play-offs.”

Opponents the Lions have lost three matches in a row to all but slip out of contention, although Boje warned that it was impossible to count them out.

“I don’t think their form matters too much, we’ve seen with this competition so far it’s how you play on the day that is crucial,” he added. “Form is just temporary as we’ve seen so many teams find that out so far.”

Lions boss Geoffrey Toyana is not prepared to give up, despite their shocking form. With two games to play, the men from Johannesburg have 13 points and their coach is still hopeful of a miraculous squeeze into the top three.

A lot of things will need to happen for that to materialise, starting with a significant win in the Northern Cape. “It was disappointing to lose our last three games,” Toyana said. “But there’s two more games and we’re not giving up.”

The Lions would need also to beat the Warriors in their last match and hope the Knights and the Titans are beaten in their last games. These are all being played on Thursday. “You never know what could happen in that last round,” Toyana adds. “We just need to do what we need to and then hope for the best.”